Welding wire charge

ABSTRACT

This invention offers welding wire packages without twining and tangling even if welding wire is drawn out from pail containers in high speed, and also without bending set of the wire. Namely, in a welding wire package in which welding wire with torsion is packed as heaped loops, a wire pressing member is disposed on top of the heaped loops, wherein the wire pressing member comprises a loop pressing part for pressing the heaped loops of the welding wire, and a wire guiding part having a hole of not more than 180 mm in diameter in a center of the wire pressing member for passage of the welding wire.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a package of welding wire such as solid wire and flux-cored wire, wherein the wire is heaped as loops with torsion in a pail container.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Pail containers are commonly used for large capacity reservoirs of welding wire as 200 to 300 kg. In the pail container the welding wire is filled with torsion within elasticity limit stress, for instance, 270 to 360 degrees per one loop of the wire. Thus the welding wire in the pail container involves a force to release the torsion. Therefore when the wire does not restricted, the wire has a tendency to jump toward an axial direction of the pail container. This cause twining and tangling frequently in drawing out the wire from the pail container. For solving this problem it is known as described in Japanese published patent No. Sho 59-8474 that an annular pressing plate is put on the heaped welding-wire loops to push the wire downwards.

[0003]FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of welding wire filled in a pail container as shown in above mentioned Japanese published patent No. Sho 59-8474, wherein the wire is heaped in layers with torsion and being drawn out from the pail container 1. The welding wire 5 forms cylindrical cavity 4 inside the heaped loops 2. On the top of the heaped loops 2 an annular pressing plate 8 is placed for preventing the welding wire from jumping. In this case an inner diameter of the annular pressing plate is slightly smaller than an inner diameter of the heaped loops as necessary and enough dimension for pushing the heaped loops. For instance, as inner diameters of ordinary pail containers are 500 mm or 650 mm, the inner diameters of the heaped loops become 340 to 460 mm, then the annular pressing plates of 230 to 350 mm in inner diameters are adopted.

[0004] In the process of drawing out welding wire from a pail container in FIG. 5 the welding wire 5 is drawn out upwards, wherein a separation point of the wire from the heaped loops 2 travels along the inner edge 9 of the annular pressing plate 8 at the top of the heaped loops 2. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a part of the pail container shown in FIG. 5, wherein a few turns of wire at the top of the heaped loops 2 are especially shown. Because the separation point of the welding wire 5 rotates along the inner edge 9 of the annular pressing plate, the welding wire is drawn out while being in contact with a next loop 10 in nearly parallel and while traveling along the inner edge 9 of the annular pressing plate 8. Consequently, the annular pressing plate is slightly lift when welding wire is drawn out in high speed or rigidity of the welding wire is high. This may cause twining and tangling wherein the next loop 10 and moreover the succeeding loops 11 are drawn out into the cylindrical cavity 4 and the wire springs up in the cylindrical cavity owing to release torsion.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In consideration of the above mentioned current status, the present invention is intended to offer a welding wire package which has not problem of twining and tangling even if welding wire is drawn out in high speed or rigidity of the welding wire is high, and also which attains smooth feeding of welding wire to welding location without bending set of the wire.

[0006] Namely, the present invention is a welding wire package wherein welding wire with torsion is packed as heaped loops in a pail container while making a cylindrical cavity therein, wherein a wire pressing member is disposed on top of the heaped loops. And then, the wire pressing member comprises a loop pressing part for pressing the heaped loops of the welding wire, and a wire guiding part having a hole of not more than 180 mm in diameter in a center of the wire pressing member for passage of the welding wire.

[0007] As most preferable embodiment, the diameter of the hole of the wire guiding part is not less than 0.55T+10 (mm), where rupture strength of the welding wire is T (kgf), and also a ratio W/T is in a range of 4 to 32, where weight of the wire pressing member is W (g) and rupture strength of the welding wire is T (kgf).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a welding wire package of the present invention while wire is being drawn out from a pail container, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlargement of a part of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view of an another example of the wire pressing member in this invention.

[0009]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a welding wire package of prior art while wire is being drawn out from a pail container and FIG. 6 is a plan view of a part of FIG. 5.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention will be explained by referring the attached drawings. An example of a welding wire package of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a welding wire package while wire is being drawn out from a pail container 1, in which the wire is heaped as loops with torsion. A circular pressing plate 3 is put on the heaped loops 2 to prevent the wire from jumping up. The circular pressing plate 3 of this invention has a wire drawing-out hole 6 in its center. Namely, in this invention the circular pressing plate 3 has a function not only for pressing heaped loops 2, but also for regulating wire drawing-out pass in its center. Besides, 12 is string members which prevent the welding wire from jumping out through a gap between inner wall of the pail container 1 and the pressing plate 3. Same effect is attained by a pressing plate 3 equipped with spring members in contact with inner wall of the pail container 1 instead of the string members.

[0011]FIG. 2 is a plan view of a part of the pail container shown in FIG. 1, wherein a few turns of wire at the top of the heaped loops 2 are especially shown. Besides, FIG. 3 is enlargement of a part of FIG. 1. In the present invention, because a wire drawing-out hole 6 is located at the central part of the pressing plate 3, the loop of just being drawn out is expanded until being in contact with the inner wall of the pail container, forced by rigidity of the welding wire with torsion. Accordingly, the welding wire is drawn out from the contact point at the inner wall of the pail container toward the wire drawing-out hole 6, then the wire always traverse across the next loop 10 and the succeeding loops 11. Therefore the loop of just being drawn out does not made parallel to the next loop 10 and the succeeding loops 11, then loops are drawn out not in plural into the cylindrical cavity 4.

[0012] Besides, the welding wire 5 is drawn out from the wire drawing-out hole 6 right upwards, because a wire drawing-out device or a wire drawing-out guide which is not shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 is installed over the wire drawing-out hole. Therefore as shown in FIG. 3, the welding wire is exerted a force of arrow B direction by a tension of drawing out, wherein a corner 7 of the wire drawing-out hole in the center of the pressing plate 3 functions as a fulcrum. Then the welding wire 5 in the cylindrical cavity 4 becomes arched between the contact point at the inner wall of the pail container and the corner 7 of the wire drawing-out hole. This arched welding wire exerts a force of C direction, so the wire is drawn out while pressing the next loop and the succeeding loops. Consequently the succeeding loops are not drawn into the cylindrical cavity, even if the wire is drawn out in high speed or the pressing plate 3 is slightly lift. So the welding wire 5 drawn out from under the circular pressing plate 3 does not twine itself nor tangle.

[0013] In order to obtain the above explained effect, a diameter of the wire drawing-out hole of the circular pressing plate should be not more than 180 mm, preferably not more than 150 mm. If the diameter of the wire drawing-out hole exceeds 180 mm, the force which makes the corner 7 of the wire drawing-out hole as a fulcrum is small. Therefore, the next loop 10 and the succeeding loops 11 cannot be suppressed. Also the loop of just being drawn out may touch in parallel with the succeeding loops 11, causing twining and tangling by the succeeding loops 11 being drawn out into the cylindrical cavity 4.

[0014] On the other hand, a too small wire drawing-out hole of the pressing plate is unfavorable. Namely, it is favorable that the diameter of the wire drawing-out hole is not less than 0.55T+10 (mm), where rupture strength of the welding wire is T (kgf). According to an experiment, if a diameter of the wire drawing-out hole is less than 0.55T+10 (mm) in relation to rupture strength T of the welding wire, a tendency toward bending set in the drawn-out welding wire becomes notable. This is caused by the welding wire being given bending set by the corner 7 of the wire drawing-out hole, when the diameter of the wire drawing-out hole is small as compared with rupture strength of the wire, namely rigidity which is proportional to the rupture strength. As a result, meanders of welding bead may occur caused by swing of an end of the welding wire being stuck out from a torch in welding operation.

[0015] Moreover, there is a favorable range also in weight of the pressing plate in this invention. Namely, a ratio W/T is favorable to be in a range of 4 to 32, where weight of the wire pressing plate is W (g) and rupture strength of the welding wire is T (kgf). If W/T is less than 4, rupture strength namely rigidity of the welding wire is too high in comparison with the weight of the pressing plate. Therefore being exerted a large force of direction A in FIG. 3, the pressing plate 3 is lifted up. Accordingly upper layers of the heaped loops 2 spring up and twining and tangling may occur. Contrarily if W/T exceeds 32, rupture strength namely rigidity of the welding wire is too low or the weight of the pressing plate is too large. Therefore being not able to expand until inner wall of the pail container, a loop of just being drawn out may contact with lower layer loops in parallel. Consequently lower layer loops may be drawn out into the cylindrical cavity 4 and twining and tangling may occur. Moreover meanders of welding bead may occur in some cases caused by the welding wire 5 being suffered bending set by the corner 7 of the wire drawing-out hole.

[0016] The above explained is an example of the wire pressing member which adopts a circular plate with a wire drawing-out hole in the center. However, the wire pressing member in this invention is not restricted to that shape as far as it has functionally a part for pressing heaped loops and a part for guiding welding wire in the central part. FIG. 4 shows a plan view of an another example of the wire pressing member in this invention, wherein a ring 14 for passing through welding wire is connected by three supporting rods 15 to the central part of an annular plate 13. This annular plate 13 has a width necessary for pressing heaped loops and has a function of solely pressing heaped loops, as the annular pressing plate 8 in the prior art shown in FIG. 5. The ring 14 is for passing through welding wire, then it is a matter of course that its inner diameter should satisfy the dimensional condition of a hole of the wire guiding part in this invention. The wire pressing member in FIG. 4 has the advantage that wire condition in the pail container can be easily inspected as compared with the pressing plate shown in FIG. 1.

EXAMPLE

[0017] Examples of welding wire packages of the present invention will be explained in the following. Solid wire and flux-cored wire of 1.2 mm and 1.6 mm in diameter which had respectively various rupture strength were heaped in loops with torsion of 360 degrees per one turn in pail containers of 500 mm and 650 mm in their inner diameters. Circular plates which had respectively a wire drawing-out hole of various diameters and various weight were put upon the heaped loops. These conditions are shown in table 1. Besides, rupture strength of welding wire is respectively a mean of measurements of 5 times.

[0018] Frequency of twining and tangling during drawing out welding wire was inspected in the each example of No. 1 to No. 8 in table 1. Testing method was that welding wire was drawn out continuously during 4 hours in a speed of 15 m per minute from two or three pail containers per each condition. Results are shown together also in table 1. TABLE 1 Inner diameter Pressing plate Welding wire Test results of pail Diameter H Weight Rupture Twining and Test container of drawing- W Diameter strength tangling Wire No. (mm) out hole (mm) (g) Kind* (mm) T (kgf) 0.55T + 10 W/T (times) condition 1 500 100 1650 F 1.2 57 41 28.9 0 Good 2 500 150 1550 S 1.6 208 124 7.5 0 Good 3 650 80 1000 F 1.6 93 61 10.8 0 Good 4 650 120 1500 S 1.2 85 57 17.6 0 Good 5 500 150 700 S 1.6 213 127 3.3 1 Good 6 650 70 1900 F 1.2 56 41 33.9 1 Bending set 7 650 50 1200 S 1.6 156 96 7.7 0 Bending set 8 500 200 1650 F 1.2 74 51 22.3 3 Good

[0019] As apparent from table 1, a wire drawing-out hole of not more than 180 mm in diameter was provided in a central part of the circular pressing plate in each of No. 1 to No. 7. Especially No. 1 to No. 4 satisfy preferable conditions that the diameter of the hole of the wire guiding part is not less than 0.55T+10 (mm) in relation to welding wire, and also a ratio W/T is in a range of 4 to 32 between weight of the wire pressing plate W and rupture strength of the welding wire T. Therefore the loop of just being drawn out was expanded as being in contact with the inner wall of the pail container, and then the wire traversed across the next loop and the succeeding loops. Then neither the next loop nor of course the succeeding loops were drawn out into the cylindrical cavity, because the welding wire being drawn out became arched in the cylindrical cavity by making the corner of the wire drawing-out hole as a fulcrum and the wire was drawn out while pressing the next loop and the succeeding loops. Consequently, results were very satisfactory that neither twining and tangling nor bending set in welding wire by the corner of the wire drawing-out hole occurred.

[0020] On the other hand, in test No. 5 rigidity of the welding wire was too high in comparison with the weight of the pressing plate, resulting in a ratio W/T between weight W of the wire pressing plate and rupture strength T of the welding wire being too small. Therefore the pressing plate was lifted up, upper layers of the heaped loops sprang up, and then twining and tangling occurred once.

[0021] In test No. 6 rigidity of the welding wire was too low in comparison with the weight of the pressing plate, resulting in a ratio W/T between weight W of the wire pressing plate and rupture strength T of the welding wire being too high. So because a loop of just being drawn out was not able to expand until inner wall of the pail container and was drawn out while in contact with lower layer loops in parallel, the lower layer loops were drawn out into the cylindrical cavity and twining and tangling occurred once. Moreover the welding wire was suffered bending set by the corner of the wire drawing-out hole.

[0022] In test No. 7 the diameter H of the wire drawing-out hole was less than 0.55T+10 (mm) in relation to rupture strength T of welding wire. Consequently because the diameter H of the wire drawing-out hole was small as compared with rupture strength (rigidity) of the wire, the welding wire was suffered bending set by the corner of the wire drawing-out hole.

[0023] In test No. 8, as the diameter of the wire drawing-out hole exceeded 180 mm, the force which made the corner of the wire drawing-out hole as a fulcrum was small. Therefore the next loop and the succeeding loops could not be suppressed, and the loop of just being drawn out touched in parallel with the succeeding loops. So twining and tangling occurred three times by the succeeding loops being drawn out into the cylindrical cavity.

APPLICATION TO INDUSTRIES

[0024] Packages of welding wire in the present invention do not arise twining and tangling even if welding wire is drawn out in high speed or rigidity of the welding wire is high, and also attain smooth feeding of welding wire to welding location without bending set of the wire. 

1. A welding wire package wherein welding wire with torsion is packed as heaped loops in a pail container while making a cylindrical cavity therein, wherein a wire pressing member is disposed on top of said heaped loops; the wire pressing member comprising a loop pressing part for pressing the heaped loops of the welding wire, and a wire guiding part having a hole of not more than 180 mm in diameter in a center of the wire pressing member for passage of the welding wire.
 2. The welding wire package according to claim 1, wherein the wire pressing member is a flat circular plate having a wire drawing-out hole in a center.
 3. The welding wire package according to claim 1, wherein the wire pressing member comprises an annular plate having necessary width for pressing the heaped loops, and a ring being connected to a center of the annular plate for passage of the welding wire.
 4. The welding wire package according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein diameter of the hole of the wire guiding part is not less than 0.55T+10 (mm), where rupture strength of the welding wire is T (kgf).
 5. The welding wire package according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein a ratio W/T is in a range of 4 to 32, where weight of the wire pressing member is W (g) and rupture strength of the welding wire is T (kgf). 